Fixture



Dec. 29, 1931. H. J. FIXS EN FIXTURE Filed May 7, 1927 Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED"STATES.

PATE T OFFICE HENRY J. rrxsnn, or 'rnnnron, NEW JERSEYQASSIGNOR 'ro vgr. n. BALMER 00., or

. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY l FIXTURE Application filed May 7, 1927. SeriarNo. 189,507.

It has heretoforebeen proposed. to cement bathroom and like fixtures to the wall; in certain places this is objectionable however, because of the difliculty of replacing broken ones. They have also beenfastened byscrews piercing the fixtures; but leaving the screwheads exposed is objectionable, particularly with china fixtures, because of thedifiiculty of keeping the'scre'w-headsand their surio roundings clean. It has also-been proposed tofasten sub-bases to the walls and attach the fixtures to the sub-base by co-operating tongues and grooves, usually by sliding the fixture onto the sub-base; with this arrangement both the removability of and the manher of removing the fixture are usually quite obvious and the fixtures are frequently stolen from public places. 1

The object of my inventionis.to attach such fixtures and analogous devices in a manner which permits the ready substitutionof a new fixture at will, but without exposed screwheads, and in a manner in whichthe removability, and particularly the manner of re.- moving them, is not apparent. To this end, I provide a sub-base (preferablyentirely concealed by the fixture and holding the margins of the fixture directly against and pressed tight to the wall) from which the'fixso ture'can be removed only'by a complexseries of motions, the nature of which is notindicateclby anything in view. To this -end,-I provide the fixture and sub-base with interengaging parts, and preferably something in the nature of a latch, releasable by another motion, torestrain the disengagement of said parts or the inter-engaging parts, preferably entirely concealed between the support or wall and the fixture, are of such a. nature that they require that the fixture executea plurality of different movements to disengage them.

The accompanying drawingsillustrate a bathroom fixture and sub-base therefor embodying my invention. Fig. 1 is a perspective of a towel-rack bracket showing particularly the construction of its base. Fig.2 is a sectionof the'base thereof held in place on the wall, and showing the subbase in elevation. Fig. 3 is another elevation of the sub-base taken at right angles to Fig.2, and showing the parts of thesub-base in the positions they occupy when the fixture is removed. Fig. is 'a face or plan view of the sub-base. Fig. 5 is another section in substantially the same plane as Fig. 2, but showing the fixture in the position which it occupies at the beginning of the attaching movement, and' also showing the sub-base in section. Fig. 6 is a section showing the fixture fastened tothe wall, the sub-base being shown in elevation, andthe sectionbeing at right angles to that of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective of the wall member of the sub-base. Fig. Sis a perspective 'of the cap member of the sub-base. Fig. 9 is the spring thereof. As appears from Fig.- 1, the bracket 1 for a towel rack has a large recess 2 in itsbase. This is to receive and conceal the sub-base as is apparent from Figs. 2 and 6. Projecting into the recess 2 are two. transversely extending projections 3. Also the base is provided with two recesses 4 providing walls 5.; these walls are to prevent rotation of the fixture as laterdescribed. 1 f 1 Included in the sub-base is a stationary wall member, 6 (F ig. 7.) which essentially provides for the attachment of the sub-base to the wall, as for example by ,means of the screw holes 8 and screws 9,'and somemeans for attaching and guiding the cap member 10, such 'as the center post 11 and guide posts 12. Also I usually provide some means on this base to engage such transverse walls as 5 ofthe fixture; for that purpose the ends 7 of the wall plate containing the screw holes 8 are extended outfarfenough, and are made of proper size, to be enclosed by the recesses 4 of thefixture. In effect these ends 7 of the wall member and the recesses i with their transverse walls 5 form latches restraining suchvmovement of the fixture as will disengage it from the. sub-base as later described. The cap member 10 (Fig. 8) of the sub-base ,is pierced for the posts 11 and 12 on which fixture when the latter is in position on the sub-base and wall. The cap member is also pierced at 15 to pass the projections 3 of the fixture, and the face of the member 10 adjacent the wall member is bevelled circumferentially of the fixture axis, preferably from both sides of each of the recesses 15, that is to say, is bevelled in such directions and the bevelling is of such depth as to provide an entrance for the projections 8 behind the cap so that when the fixture is set down on the sub-base (Fig. 5) and then rotated in either direction, the projections 8, can enter underneath the wall-face of the cap member, which is then in its position nearest the wall, and crowd the cap member outwardly against the tension of the spring 13 (Fig. 6).

In use the sub-base is fastened to the wall 18 to which the fixture is to be attached. To attach the fixture, the fixture is set down on the sub-base in such a relation that the projections 3 pass through the recesses 15 in the cap 10 and the adjacent portions of the base of the fixture come to rest against the ends 7 of the wall plate. The fixture is now given a part turn, around an axis at right angles to the wall and passing through the center post 11. This forces the projections 3 underneath the cammed face of the cap 10 and raises its cap against its springlf-J as before mentioned. hen however this turning of the fixture has brought the recesses 4 completely opposite the ends ofthe wall-plate, the spring 13 forces the fixture toward the wall, thus engaging the latch formed by these ends 7 of the wall-plate and the recesses 4 in the fixture. The fixture can not be removed therefore by simple rotation. Preferably also the recesses 4 are so deep, and the camming and thickness of the cap 10 are such, that the spring 13 acting through the cap 10 and on the projections 3 forces the base of the fixture tight against the wall 18 and holds it rather firmly against the wall, so that it is not apparent to casual inspection that the fixture is removable. To remove the fixture, the fixture must first be pulled straight away from the wall to disengage the latch, that is to say to pull the recesses 4 completely off the ends of the wall plate. While the fixture is thus held out, it can be turned one way or the other to bring the projections 3 opposite the recesses 15 again, and this entirely releases the fixture from the sub-base.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific device illustrated and described, nor the details of construction thereof except as appears hereinafter in the claims.

Claims. 7

1. The combination of a bathroom fixture, and a sub-base for attachment to a wall, the fixture and sub-base having parts which are engaged by movement of the fixture in a certain direction to attach the fixture to the subbase, and other parts one on the fixture and the other on the sub-base, which are engaged by movement of the fixture in another direction to prevent movement of the fixture in a direction to disengage the first mentioned parts, and concealed spring means to more the fixture to engage the second mentioned parts.

2. The combination of a fixture and a subbase for attachment to a wall, the fixture and sub-base having cooperating parts to attach the fixture to the sub-base, said parts being engaged with each other by movement of the fixture, and spring means to move the fixture toward the wall after said parts have been engaged, said sub-base and fixture also having parts to engage each other to restrain movement of the fixture in a direction which disengages said co-operating parts, the said parts of the sub-base and fixture which engage to restrain movement in a direction which disengages said co-operating parts being engaged by the movement of the fixture by the spring.

3. The combination with a bathroom fix ture having a recessed base, a transversely extending projection therein, and a rotationpreventing wall on said base of the fixture, of a sub-base, for attachment to a support, to extend into said recessed base of the fixture and having a part movable toward and from the support to engage with said projection on rotation of thefixture, to hold the fixture to the sub-base, a spring to move said part of the sub-base toward the support, and means to engage said wall of the fixture when the spring pushes the fixture toward the support to prevent rotation ofthe fixture.

4. The combination of a bathroom fixture having a recess in its base, a transversely extending projection in said recess, and a recess at the side of the first-n1entioned recess, and a sub-base including a wall member for attachment to a support, a bevelled cap member slidable toward and from the support for cooperation with said projection as the fixture is rotated on the sub-base, and a springtending to move the cap toward the support, a part of said wall member being adapted to be received within the secondmentioned recess to prevent rotation of the fixture to released position.

5. The combination of a bathroom fixture, and a sub-base adapted to be applied to the face of a wall, the fixture .and sub-base being provided with coacting means for fastening the fixture to the sub-base, said means being released to release the fixture from the subbase by rotary movement of the fixture in one direction, and latch means to prevent said rotary movement of the fixture in said direction, said latch means being released to permit rotary movement of the fixture in said direction by movement of the fixture in another direction, characterized by the fact that said coacting means and latch means are entirely external to the wall.

(i. The combinationof a bathroom fixture, and asub-base adapted to be fastened to a wall and provided with a spring at the opposite side of the sub-base from the wall and a member wholly between the spring and the face of the wall to engage the fixture and under the thrust of the spring force the fixture toward the wall, the base of the fixture being recessed and containing and concealing the spring and said member when the fixture is attached to the sub-base.

7. The combination of a bathroom fixture, and a sub-base therefor, the sub-base comprising a member to be fastened to a wall, a guiding member extending from said wall member at the opposite side thereof from the wall, a movable fixture-holding member guided by said guiding member and surrounding the axis of said fixture when the fixture is held to the wall by the sub-base, and a spring related to the guiding member tending to holdthe fixture-holding member in fixture-holding position, the wall side of the fixtureholcling member being bevelled circumferentially of the fixture axis and the fixture having a part to co-act with the bevelled surface of the fixture-holding member by rotation of the fixture to tension the spring, and the fixture and sub-base having parts to engage each other to restrain rotation of the fixture, said rotation-restraining parts being engaged by movement of the fixture by saidspring.

8. The combination of a bathroom fixture, a wall member for attachment to a wall, a fixture-holding member on the wall member and at the opposite side thereof from the wall, a cooperating member on the fixture to pass behind said fixture-holding member to attach the fixture to the wall member, at least one of said fixture-holding and cooperating members being movable toward and from the wall and at least one of said two members being bevelled to provide for the en trance of the cooperating member behindthe fixture-holding member, and a spring to act on said movable member in a direction to urge the fixture toward the wall, the depth of said bevelling being suflicient to admit the passage, of'the cooperating member behind the fixture-holding member when the spring is farthest extended. 1 v

9. The combination of a bathroom fixture, a sub-base including a wall member and a fixture-holding member, the wall member being for attachment 'to a wall and the fixture-holding member beingon the wall member and at the opposite side thereof from the wall, a cooperating member on the fixtureto pass behind said fixture-holding member to attach the fixture to the wall member, at least one of said fixture-holding and cooperating members being movable toward and from the wall and at least one of said two members being bevelled to provide for the entrance of the cooperating member behind thefixture holding member by movement of the fixture in a direction other than directly toward the Wall, and a spring to act on said movable member in a direction to urge the fixture toward the wall, the depth of said bevelling being sufficient to admit the passage ofthe cooperating member behind the fixture-holding member when the spring is farthest extended, and the sub-base and fixture having parts to engage each other to restrain movement of the fixture in a direction by which the cooperating member may be passed from behind the fixture-holding member, the said restraining parts of the sub-base and fixture being engaged by movement of the fixture toward the wall. 7

10. The combination of a bathroom fixture, a wall member for attachment to a wall, a fixture-holding member on the wall member, at the opposite side thereof from the wall, and movable on the wall member toward and from the wall, a cooperating member on the fixture to pass behind said fixtureholding member to attach the fixture to the wall member, and a spring urging the fix- V ture-holding member toward the wall, at 7 least one of saidfixture-holding and cooperating members being bevelled to provide for v the entrance of the cooperating member be hind the fixture-holding member, the depth of the bevelling being suificien'tto admit the 100 passage of said cooperating member behind. the fixture-holding member against the ten sioniof the spring when the fixture-holding member is. in that position in which it is nearest the wall, and the wall member and fixture having parts to engage each other to restrain movement of the fixture in a direction which can pass the cooperating member from behind the fixture-holding member, the said parts being engaged by movement of the fixture toward the wall.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

HENRY J. FIXSEN. 

